Physical activity
Policymakers & government officials
Physical activity is a key part of good health. Regular movement can support wellbeing and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases, while insufficient physical activity is a major and widespread risk factor. Physical activity includes much more than sport or structured exercise. Walking, cycling, wheeling, playing, taking the stairs, active travel and movement at work, school or home all count.1
But opportunities to be active are not shaped by personal motivation alone. Streets, transport systems, schools, workplaces, public spaces and local services all influence whether movement is safe, accessible and easy to include in everyday life.1,2
For policymakers, this creates a major prevention opportunity: designing environments and systems that make physical activity a normal part of everyday life for everyone.
125,000
deaths attributable to physical inactivity
in the EU in 2019³
85 million
preventable NCD and mental health cases
projected in the EU between 2020 and 2030³
150-300
minutes of moderate activity per week
recommended for adults⁴
60
minutes of activity per day on average
for children and adolescents⁴
Physical activity is shaped by everyday environments
Physical activity is often presented as a matter of personal motivation. But people’s opportunities to move are strongly influenced by their surroundings.
Streets, transport systems, schools, workplaces, green spaces, healthcare services and local communities all affect whether movement becomes part of daily life.2
For policymakers, the key point is simple: physical activity policy should not only ask people to move more. It should make movement easier, safer and more accessible in everyday life.
What makes prevention harder?
Physical activity becomes harder when everyday environments do not support movement. Information campaigns alone are unlikely to be enough if people do not have safe, affordable, inclusive and realistic opportunities to be active.2,5
Barriers can include:
- Unsafe or unattractive walking and cycling routes
- Lack of access to parks, playgrounds and green spaces
- Car-dependent urban design
- Limited support for movement in schools and workplaces
- Long periods of sitting built into daily routines
- Cost barriers to sport and recreation
- Safety concerns, especially for children, older people, women and girls
- Cultural norms or expectations that may make some forms of physical activity less accessible or acceptable for certain groups
- Unequal access for people with disabilities or reduced mobility
When environments do not support movement, information alone is unlikely to be enough.
What can policy do?
Policy can make physical activity easier by shaping the places and systems where people live, learn, work, travel and spend time.2
Those conditions are shaped by decisions on:
Urban planning
Transport systems
Schools and childcare
Workplaces
Parks and green spaces
Healthcare and social services
Public buildings and services
Community programmes
Inclusive design and accessibility
Effective actions for active daily life
Evidence-based physical activity promotion often focuses on creating environments where movement is safe, practical and part of everyday routines. Effective action requires coordinated policies across transport, urban planning, education, workplaces, healthcare and community settings.2,6
Promote active transport in everyday life
Walking, cycling and wheeling can help people build movement into everyday journeys to schools, workplaces, services and community spaces.
Invest in accessible public transport
Extensive, safe, accessible, sustainable and efficient public transport can reduce car dependence and help people include walking or wheeling in everyday journeys.
Reduce sedentary time
Workplaces, schools and public institutions can help people break up long periods of sitting and support more active routines.
Integrate physical activity into health and social services
Healthcare and community services can support people to be more active through advice, referral, local programmes and support adapted to different needs.
Make activity inclusive
Physical activity opportunities should be accessible to people of different ages, abilities, incomes, cultures and backgrounds.
Active living should be possible for everyone
A strong prevention approach asks who has real opportunities to be active, and who faces the greatest barriers.
Opportunities to move are not equally distributed. Barriers may affect children and young people without safe places to play, older adults, people with disabilities or chronic conditions, people with lower incomes or caring responsibilities, and communities with limited transport, public spaces or local services. Women and girls may also face safety concerns, gender expectations or cultural barriers that affect whether they feel able or welcome to be active.5,6
Policy can reduce these inequalities by creating environments and opportunities that are safe, affordable, accessible, inclusive and appropriate for different communities.
What support can look like
Supportive environments make it easier for people to be active in ways that fit their daily lives. Inclusive action means removing practical, social and cultural barriers and creating opportunities that are safe, affordable, accessible and welcoming for different groups.2,5,6
Support may include:
- Safe, well-lit and connected walking and cycling routes
- Accessible parks, playgrounds, green spaces and public buildings
- Affordable or free local activities
- Active schools and safe routes to school
- Workplaces and public institutions that support movement breaks
- Inclusive activities for different ages, abilities, cultures, genders and fitness levels
- Extensive, safe, accessible and efficient public transport that connects with walking, cycling and wheeling
- Community groups and social activities that make movement more enjoyable and welcoming
Daily movement is also shaped by wider systems
Physical activity is influenced by more than individual choice. Car-dependent planning, sedentary work, screen-based environments, unequal access to facilities and wider development patterns can all affect how much people move in everyday life.2,6
A strong prevention approach should consider how urban planning, transport, digital environments, workplace practices and commercial development shape opportunities for movement.
Policymakers can help ensure that health and active living are considered in decisions about urban development, transport, schools, workplaces, healthcare, public spaces and community services.2,6
Practical starting points for policymakers
Public institutions and decision-makers can begin by reviewing the environments, services and systems they influence directly.2,6
Examples include:
- Improve walking, wheeling and cycling access to schools, workplaces, public buildings and public transport stops
- Invest in extensive, safe, accessible, sustainable and efficient public transport
- Make public spaces safer, well lit, more accessible and more attractive
- Support active breaks and reduced sitting in schools and workplaces
- Improve access to parks, playgrounds and green spaces
- Include health and physical activity in urban planning and transport decisions
- Support affordable, inclusive and culturally appropriate community sport and recreation
- Make public buildings and spaces accessible for people with disabilities
- Connect physical activity policy with climate, transport, mental health, social inclusion and health equity goals
Physical activity is not only about sport, exercise or personal motivation. It is shaped by everyday environments and systems. By making movement easier to include in daily life, policymakers can support wellbeing, reduce inequalities and help prevent cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases.2,6
Explore the prevention areas
Evidence and further reading
The information, statistics and recommendations on this page are based on evidence and guidance from trusted public health organisations.
- Physical activity
World Health Organization - Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world
World Health Organization - Potential impact of increasing physical activity on NCD mortality in the EU: pathways to SDG 3.4.1 by 2030
Muhlis et al., BMJ Global Health (2026) - WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
World Health Organization - Physical activity
WHO Regional Office for Europe - Step Up! Tackling the Burden of Insufficient Physical Activity in Europe
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and WHO Regional Office for Europe
